Pregnancy Tips for Woman With Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, affects 2.6 percent of the American adult population (5.7 million adults), according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It causes severe mood swings from very high energy to very low depression. There's been much debate about the risks bipolar disorder presents for pregnant women regarding medication, birth defects and postpartum depression.

Drugs during pregnancy

• Pregnancy guidelines for women who don't suffer from bipolar disorder are stringent; medications are usually discouraged unless the doctor says otherwise. Bipolar pregnancies are a completely different story because bipolar disorder is generally controlled with medication. The Food and Drug Administration reports that most psychotropic drugs could be harmful to the fetus. Risks for birth defects are usually during the first trimester, and many health professionals do not prescribe these medications during pregnancy, according to HealthyPlace.com, an online bipolar community.

  Anticonvulsant medications are mood stabilizers and are used to treat bipolar disorder. Some studies have shown that the anticonvulsants valproic acid (Depakote) and carbemazepine (Tegretol) can cause birth defects such as physical deformities and spina bifida. Other medications that might put a fetus at risk are Trileptal, Neurontin, Lamictal and Topamax. But whether to continue medication will vary with each woman, and it should be discussed with her doctor.

  Lithium, which is used to treat bipolar disorder, is considered safe during pregnancy, but there is a slight risk for some rare birth defects such as Ebstein's anomaly, which is a heart defect, according to HealthyPlace.com.

  In some cases, women who go off of their medications can pose harm to their fetus. A 2007 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that women who stopped using mood stabilizers during their pregnancy spent more than 40 percent of their pregnancy in an illness episode, according to an article from Health.com. An illness episode, or a mood episode, is a period of an intense emotional state, either overexcited or extremely sad, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Postpartum depression

• Women without bipolar disorder often suffer from postpartum depression, or the baby blues. But bipolar women are at a much higher risk; it can occur in 25 percent to 40 percent of bipolar pregnancies, according to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

  Pregnant women with bipolar disorder should discuss medication options with their doctor well before birth to find a healthy treatment when the baby is born.

Breastfeeding and bipolar disorder

• Breastfeeding while on medication is another hotly debated issue and a concern for pregnant women. It's been shown that antidepressants are secreted in breast milk, but the amount is so small it doesn't seem to pose a risk to nursing infants. HealthyPlace.com recommends that women choose antidepressants that have been studied for their effects on infants like fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil). It's also recommended not to breast feed if taking lithium, according to HealthyPlace.com.